Undisclosed illness means Caster won’t run in Birmingham

South Africa's Caster Semenya looks on after running in the Women's 1500m race during the IAAF Diamond League athletics meeting Athletissima in Lausanne on July 5, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / Alain GROSCLAUDE

She became ill during the African Championships.

Caster Semenya will no longer headline the Müller Grand Prix after pulling out through illness in which she was set to compete in Birmingham on Saturday as she competes in the women’s 1500m.

Semenya picked up an undisclosed illness at the African Championships in Nigeria last week. As a result she was unable to train for one week and was not feeling ready to compete according to athleticsweekly.com.

Ahead of the event Semenya had said: “It has been such an amazing 12 months for me and I cannot wait to continue it by competing back in the UK again and in Birmingham for the first time ever.

“It is rare that I get to race somewhere for the first time, so that in particular is really exciting and will motivate me to perform very well in what I know will be a great, great race.”

Though the 27-year-old was not set to competing in her favoured 800m event in which she has claimed three world titles in 2009, 2011 and 2017 and back-to-back Olympic golds, Semenya was continuing to attempt to break new ground in the longer race.

In the 1500m, Semenya has already claimed world bronze and Commonwealth gold over the last year and set a new SA record of 3:59.92.

Adding to her performances in the middle distances, she also has added the SA record of 49.96 in the 400m to her growing list of achievements.

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